News paper-holder



(No Model.)

W. O. ROBERTS. NEWSPAPER HOLDER.

Patented Oct. 13,1891.

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ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM C. ROBERTS, OF SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA.

NEWSPAPER-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,049, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed g s 23, 1890. Serial No. 362,870. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM (J. ROBERTS, of Sausalito, in the county of Marin and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Newspaper-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My. invention relates to improvements in that class of devices used for holding newspapers and books in a position to be easily read; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple device that will hold a newspaper or book in such a manner that it may instantly be placed in position or removed from the holder, and also to produce aholder having all the necessary movements, so that it may be quickly and easily adjusted to suit the reader.

To this end my invention consists of a holder composed, preferably, of Wire, and which I will call a hand, and a suitable support to which the hand is attached.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the supportingtube and lifter in vertical section, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The hand-shaped rack A is made, preferably, of spring-wire, although it maybe made of other suitable material, and is composed of a single piece B, the ends I) of which are attached to the top of the movable core 0, which is vertically adjustable in the tube E, and which may also revolve in the tube. The rack A is provided with fingers b, which extend diagonally upward, and at the lower portion of the rack and on opposite sides the wire B is bent outwardly, as at W, is then curved upwardly to form the arches b which extend nearly parallel with the fingers b, and the wire is bent dmvnwardly and outwardly between the two arches U as at b", said portion being adapted to rest-in the lugs (Z of the brace D. The brace D is fixed to the upper portion of the core C and is curved outwardly and downwardly, so as to extend around the bent portion b of the rack, and the lugs (Z are arranged at short intervals thereon and extend inwardly. By changing the bent portion 1) from one lug to the other the main portion of the rack A is given a greater or less inclination. The core 0 has a shoulder near the top adapted to rest upon the upper end of the tube E, and said core has also a conical lower end 0, which turns in a corresponding recess in the top of the litter G. The tubeE is fixed to a suitable base F, and on opposite sides of the tube are vertical slots e, each slot having recesses 6 opening from one side, the said recesses being at right angles to the slots 6 and being regularly spaced. The recesses e in one of the slots 6 extend in a direction opposite to the recesses in the other slot e, as is shown in Fig. 3, so that when the litter G is turned in one direction the buttons thereon will align with the slots e, and when turned in the opposite direction each button will be turned into a recess 6. The lifter G fits nicely within the tube E and is vertically movable therein, and screwed into opposite sides of the lifter are the buttons g, which extend through the slots 6 in the tube E. It will thus be seen that by turning the lifter so that the shanks of the buttons will align with the slots 6 the lifter may be raised, thus raising the core 0 and rack A, and by turning the lifter slightly the shanks of the buttons y will extend into the recesses 0, thus supporting the lifter and the parts above in a desired position.

To place a newspaper in the rack, it is partially folded, and the lower portion of the paper rests in the curved portions of the rack, and the paper will be held between the arches b and the fingers b. The desired inclination is given the paper by adjusting the bent portion I) of the rack in the lugs d. The paper is brought to a desired'height by ehangin g the position of the lifter G, and by turning the rack and the core 0 the paper may be brought into proper alignment. It will thus be seen that the device has all the movements necessary to bring the paper into a desired position.

I do not confine myself to any particular form of rack A, as it may be shaped in any suitable manner to support a paper, and the tube E may be made short, so that the newspaper-holder may rest upon a table, or it may be made long enough to stand upon the door. It is obvious, too,thatthe rack may be secured to a fixed support and still form a very convenient1lewspaper-holder. hen the holder is to be used forsupporting abook, the arches b are made very muchlower than when it is to be used for supporting a newspaper.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a newspaper may be conveniently held and that a person may have both hands occupied, as when eating, knitting, or doing very many kinds of Work, and still be able to read conveniently.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A holder for papers and books, consisting in a suitable support, a rack projecting therefrom and formed of asingle spring-Wire formed into fingers, outward and upward bends b b at the lower ends of the outermost fingers, connected by the cross portion 5 and a hooked arm or brace projecting outward from the support under the cross part b and provided with notches or teeth, whereby the angles of the fingers I) may be changed by springing the cross part 19 into engagement with any one of the teeth or notches of said arm or brace.

2. A paper and book holder comprising a base, a tube projecting upward therefrom, a vertically-adjustable rotary core mounted 1n the tube, a rack mounted on the upper end of the core and formed of a single spring-Wire bent into fingers b, outward and upward curves b inward curves 6 b and b and the outward-projecting upward-curved notched or toothed arm or brace D below the curved part 5 whereby the rack may be bodily adj usted vertically and horizontally and the angles of its fingers changed by engaging the curved part b with said teeth ornotches, substantially as set forth.

WVILLIAM O. ROBERTS.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD O. HARRISON, J AMES J. GREEN. 

